"I'm counting on you!"
Seridan instantly disassembled the railgun through the magnetic cube.
-Swoosh!
The scattered parts in midair rotated around the powered armor like electrons around an atomic nucleus due to magnetic force.
When the powered armor raised one hand, the parts gathered in one place and ford a large shield.
It was a shield large enough to cover the massive bulk of the powered armor.
Alchemy combination [Scrap tal shield]
"Yeaaah!"
Seridan pulled the lever forward and maximized the output of the powered armor.
A blue light glowed softly around the powered armor, and then intense magical energy erupted from its back.
-Vrooom!
The powered armor charging with the shield toward the automatons firing magic looked like a heavily armored cavalry crossing the enemy lines in war.
The magic fired with enough force to destroy the machine was blocked by the scrap tal shield and had no effect.
Of course, physical impact was also delivered to the powered armor through the shield, but Seridan's powered armor didn't collapse from such impacts.
The ivory automaton eventually had to make a different choice.
-Clink!
The automatons drew blades from the backs of both hands.
A bluish aura ford over the blades.
It was slightly inferior compared to the sharp cutting aura of a real knight, but an aura is still an aura.
No matter how sturdy the scrap tal shield was, it would be cut the mont it touched those swords.
The ivory automatons rushed in.
So were hit by Seridan's approaching shield, but instead of bouncing off, they clung tenaciously to the shield and swung their aura-infused blades.
-Clang! Clang! Scratch!
Sparks flew, and a large corner of the shield was cut off.
As five automatons swung their blades frantically, the durability of the large and sturdy shield plumted instantly.
At this point, she should have discarded the shield, recollected the parts with magnetic force, and created a new weapon to respond.
But Seridan instead increased the machine's output and moved forward head-on.
Her role was to open and create a path.
Even if this machine collapsed, she absolutely must not stop.
It was an extre choice she could make because she trusted Arpa.
-Crack!
The shield that had barely held up finally shattered.
The automatons that ca over the shield clung to the powered armor like insects.
Seridan confird this sight, closed her eyes tightly, and shouted.
"Argh! I didn't want to do this!"
Seridan pressed the ergency escape button.
The rear part of the powered armor opened with a clanking sound, and her small figure was shot out backward.
And before the automatons could react, the magnetic cube exceeded the critical output level and caused a magnificent explosion.
-Boom!
A massive explosion using the powered armor itself as a sacrifice.
Despite maintaining sufficient distance, Seridan was caught in the explosion's aftermath and rolled backward several tis.
Seridan, sprawled on the floor, murmured.
"The path is open."
"Thank you."
Arpa leaped over Seridan like a gust of wind and approached the black automaton.
At that mont, red pupils appeared on the smooth visor helt of the black automaton.
It had finally begun to operate.
When the black automaton extended its left hand, magnetic force imbued it, and tal fragnts from the surroundings gathered to form a sword.
It was implenting Leslie's magic by exactly imitating it.
In addition, a dark red aura infused the black automaton's sword.
This aura was similar to the power possessed by Knight Verom's Living Armor.
Victor, unable to contain his joy at this successful sight, roared.
"Ohhoho! Look at this! My masterpiece! My beautiful creation! This ultimate automaton was created by scraping the characteristics of the First Orders from my forr workplace, the Black Dawn Society!"
The black automaton that Victor had put his heart and soul into creating was commonly known as Black Order.
The Black Order raised its right hand, which wasn't holding a sword, toward Arpa.
A fla the size of a lighter blood above the wide-open smooth black palm.
-Whoosh.
The fla instantly expanded, and a giant with a terrifying face erged from inside.
-Kuooooo!
The giant made of flas roared at Arpa with its mouth wide open.
High-temperature flas spewed out with the roar.
The flas engulfed Arpa's body before he could even react.
No matter how sturdy Arpa was as an automaton, he couldn't possibly be intact in such heat.
The Black Order's attack didn't stop there.
The steel sword infused with dark red aura swung, shooting crescent-shaped slashes in succession, intent on finishing off Arpa, who was lting in the flas.
Seridan and Bellaruna could only watch with round eyes because a blue flash erupted from the crimson flas.
A chilly coldness vertically split the giant's breath, shattering the approaching crescent blade attacks beyond.
That wasn't all.
The blue flash continued forward without stopping, vertically splitting the fire giant from its forehead down.
Sparkling blue powder filled the surroundings.
The scattered powder washed away the heat and made the surroundings chilly.
Seeing this, Seridan murmured in disbelief.
"That's... magic?"
High-temperature flas that could lt even steel.
Arpa, who appeared from within those flas in pristine condition, was holding a sword in one hand.
It was a great sword made of ice.
Victor, seeing the great sword that was clearly made by magic, exclaid in shock.
"Wh-what?! What was that just now?!"
Though he was making a fuss, Victor's insight imdiately grasped what Arpa had done.
"An automaton using magic! That's impossible!"
Arpa used magic and at his own will, no less.
The magic used by the automatons Victor created wasn't in that orthodox way.
Like scrolls or artifacts, they simply engraved inscriptions onto the automaton itself and quickly activated magic with the magical power of magic stones.
As a result, its power was inferior compared to that used by real wizards.
But Arpa was different.
He manipulated magical power himself and used formulas to manifest magic.
Just like a real person.
Whether Victor was surprised or not, Arpa stared silently at the ice great sword in his hand.
-Arpa.
-Yes, teacher.
The conversation with Rudger before the holy war began vividly ca to mind.
-To be honest, I don't want you to get involved in this fight.
-What? Why? I'm also a proud mber of Owens!
-Because you're still a child.
-For , an automaton...
-Not anymore. You know that too, don't you?
-...
Arpa couldn't say anything.
Rudger's words were true. After the Dreamland incident, Arpa had realized what the essence of his soul was.
-Teacher. I still want to fight.
Arpa looked down at his empty palm.
It looked exactly like a human hand, but inside it was full of clockwork chanisms with no warmth whatsoever.
-I've beco stronger. It wasn't what I wanted, but I still want to fight with this power. To help you, teacher.
-There's no lie in those words?
-No.
Arpa answered while looking at Rudger with pure eyes.
Rudger stared at Arpa for a mont, then shook his head as if he had no choice.
-At this point, I can't force your actions. But you should clearly know. The upcoming battles will be overwhelming even for your sturdy body.
-I'm fully prepared for that.
-That said, I can't just ask for your help as is, so I'll also teach you a way to beco stronger.
-A way to beco stronger? Is there such a thing?
-Yes. It's certainly possible for you now that you're aware of who you are.
What Rudger said to Arpa was quite shocking.
-From now on, learn how to use magic.
-Magic? But I'm an automaton, I can't use magic.
-That's true for your body. But not for your soul and mind.
Rudger created a bluish pattern above his palm using magical power.
-How can humans use magic? They can accumulate it in their bodies through the mana floating in the atmosphere. But this mana isn't exclusively for humans.
Beasts that absorb a lot of mana beco spirit beasts.
In environnts rich with mana, even plants evolve into different forms.
Arpa knew this because he had seen such changes with his own eyes in the Kasar Basin.
-Steam golems and various machines use magic stones as ingredients. They operate with the power of magic stones, the magical power dwelling within them. So here's a question. Is the magical power handled by steam golems different from that handled by humans?
-Th-that...
-Well?
-...they must be the sa. After all, it's power originating from nature's mana.
-Right. Humans, beasts, plants, machines. All can use mana. The difference between humans and machines is whether they use it with their own will or not.
Rudger's blue eyes gazed at Arpa.
-Arpa. Are you a machine? Or are you human?
That alone was enough to convey Rudger's intent.
-B-but I can't accumulate magical power, and I don't know how to create formulas.
-Why do you think you don't know?
-Because I've never learned.
-Right. You've never learned. But you've seen it many tis, haven't you?
-...
-You can rember everything you see with your eyes. So you must know. How many spells did you see that day in the Kasar Basin?
Arpa looked down at his hand again.
In his smooth hand without a single callus, a great sword was once again gripped.
That's right.
Arpa rembered everything.
The formulas used by wizards in that battle.
The art of people drawing beautiful pictures in the air using magical power as lines.
The boy who, when he was human, wanted to learn and imitate it.
Finally, he could grasp what he had yearned for to be of help to soone and protect his comrades.
Arpa stretched out his left hand.
Flas ford around his wide-open hand, and soon a staff made of flas appeared.
"Grandpa Limrei. Let borrow your strength for a mont."
Arpa held the fla staff, thinking of the kindly smiling sage Limrei, and swung it wide horizontally.
Seridan and Bellaruna, watching this scene, felt an illusion of an old man's figure appearing behind Arpa.
-Whoosh!
A tidal wave of flas rippled and engulfed the Black Order.
"Eek! Don't lose! Black Order!"
At Victor's command, the Black Order emitted red light from its eyes and manifested magic.
Ice-attribute magic embedded through artifacts and magic stones activated in succession.
Although its power was inferior compared to magic used by actual wizards, the number that could be used at once was much greater.
From 1st tier to 4th tier, ice-attribute magic was fired like a machine gun.
Ice petals spread, chilling winds swept through, sharp spears made of ice flew, and hail poured from the ceiling.
But they were all useless before Arpa's fla staff.
All the ice magic was penetrated, flas struck the Black Order's black body.
However, the Black Order withstood the flas.
As befitting an automaton that Victor had created with utmost care, it naturally possessed resistance to ordinary flas.
But it couldn't resist the great sword that followed.
-Slash!
The ice great sword lodged diagonally into the Black Order's shoulder.
It stopped at about the collarbone due to the sturdy body, but even that was a trendous blow.
Arpa released the great sword from his hand, and this ti created and swung a purple lightning sword.
Following that, a water whip, a rock spear, and a wind blade successively pierced the Black Order's body.
-Crash!
The Black Order's body was dismbered and scattered in all directions.
"This cannot be. My, my finest automaton defeated!"
Victor's wide eyes beyond his goggles glared at Arpa.
"I-I see! I finally understand! You! You breathed a soul into the automaton! That's why you could use magic! But how? When a soul is transferred to a steel machine, it gets damaged and can't even rember being human!"
Victor threw off his white coat.
"Whatever the case, it doesn't matter! Rather, since I've discovered such a rare experintal subject, I'll have to capture and study you piece by piece!"
"Do you think you can capture ?"
"Ohhoho. You seem to underestimate too much."
Without his coat, Victor's body appeared small and shabby like a scientist.
But when Victor began to exert force, his body gradually swelled enormously.
"Do you think I prepared for all these situations by just making machines?"
Surprisingly, Victor had also perford physical procedures on his own body.
"A true scientist should not spare even his own body!"
"I knew it."
The one who answered instead was Bellaruna.
Simultaneously, with a soft sound, Victor felt a stinging sensation in his thigh.
"What?"
Looking down, Bellaruna had already approached and inserted an injection into his now log-thick thigh.
Bellaruna looked up at Victor and smiled loosely.
"I thought a mad scientist would naturally modify his own body too."
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